1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to bottle openers, and more particularly to a bottle opener with an integrated wrapper cutter.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional wine bottles are generally stopped or closed with a cork. A cork is positioned within the opening at the top of the wine bottle to form a tight seal with the walls of the opening. Traditional corks are made from the lightweight elastic outer bark of the cork oak, but corks may be formed from plastic, rubber, or other materials that suitably form a seal with the bottle opening when used as a stopper. Corks not only prevent the wine from escaping from the bottle, but they also protect the wine from the surrounding environment. The favorable characteristics of wine may be negatively impacted by exposure to the elements of the surrounding environment, such as air. As such, it is essential to preserve the seal created between the cork and the bottle opening.
The seal between the cork and the bottle opening itself can also be affected by the surrounding conditions. In particular, traditional corks are susceptible to drying, which can cause the seal to fail. To protect the cork from such exposure, the top of the wine bottle, with the cork positioned therein, is often covered with a wrapper. The material for the wrapper may be a metal foil or other material that is durable and helps keep the cork from drying or other damage. The wrapper also protects the top of the bottle from damage, such as chipping. In addition to its protective function, the wrapper can also be used to add aesthetic appeal to the bottle.
Because corks are often used in combination with a protective wrapper, opening a conventional wine bottle requires a two-step process. The wrapper must first be removed, and then the cork must be extracted from the bottle. In general, a knife or a tool employing a blade is used to cut the wrapper off the top of the bottle. Then, a second tool, usually equipped with a spiral-shaped corkscrew, is used to capture the cork and to pull the cork from the bottle opening. This conventional technique of opening a wine bottle has the disadvantage of requiring two separate tools, such as a pen knife and a corkscrew.
Moreover, the tools that are normally employed to apply the conventional technique above are often difficult to use. For example, in order to function properly, the wrapper around the top of the bottle is often very thick, and thus, the wrapper may be difficult to cut with a traditional pen knife. In addition, a corkscrew may be hard to manipulate. Often, the user must manually rotate the corkscrew into the cork, involving the difficult task of applying enough force to cause penetration and keeping the corkscrew properly aligned with the center of the cork. Assuming the corkscrew is properly aligned and securely positioned in the cork, the user must then exert additional force to extract the cork, which may require the awkward task of positioning the bottle to gain proper leverage. The result of these efforts is often a failure to successfully extract the cork.
While many devices have been developed to facilitate either the removal of the wrapper from the top of the bottle or the extraction of the cork, such devices still suffer from significant disadvantages. In particular, like the conventional technique described previously, these devices often require the user to exercise multiple steps with a varying range of motions.